By now you know we have entered mid-summer, with the heat and humidity it brings. In our home that means we are in the midst of white wine season.

This is a time of the year for more casual dining and lighter meals. Fruits and vegetables are at peak ripeness and beg to be used. Dinner is more often a function of what is available at the local farmer’s market. How about just sitting down on the porch and enjoying a glass of wine before dinner while reviewing events of the day? In this environment, my wife and I frequently elect a white wine for the evening, despite the fact that my wife is a confirmed red wine drinker.

This is also a time to be more inventive with our wine choices. We like to try wines from different grapes that are not a part of our usual arsenal. I thought it would be worthwhile to assemble a “bouquet” of white wines that really deserve to be enjoyed by folks looking for a departure from the usual suspects. Each of these wines has a different flavor profile that is both distinctive and enjoyable — perfect for a lovely summer evening dinner or as a standalone quaff.

Tour Europe in a glass

It is not surprising that three of our choices are whites from Italy. Italy remains a great source of interesting white wines that are surprisingly affordable and greatly underappreciated. Our choices only scratch the surface but it is a good place to start. Arneis is from Liguria in northern Italy. Carricante is from the south in Sicily, which continues to be a great source of both red and white wines. Verdicchio, from the Marche region of central Italy, has been flying under the radar for years. Not included in this column but also worthy of pursuing are wermentino, soave and falanghina.

France contributes two choices. One is a familiar grape — sauvignon blanc — from the lesser known Loire region. The other — grenache blanc — produces a lovely, medium-bodied wine, with floral elements.

Not to be overlooked is the assyrtiko wine from Santorini in Greece. The olden days of Greek retsina wine, fit only as a fuel additive for your car, are gone. This wine is a pleasure to drink and enhances seafood dishes beautifully.

I include albarino from the Galician region of Spain as a reminder that it is often a great white wine of choice for its dry, mineral flavor profile that matches so many dishes.

Also not to be overlooked is the reliable and enjoyable semillon from France. Most people forget that white wine from Bordeaux is most often a blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon. However, you don’t have to go to France to taste good standalone semillon. For many years, one of the great values in American white wine has been the L’Ecole bottling of semillon from Washington state.

Lighter on wallet, too

Another nice thing about white wine is both cost and alcohol level. Five out of our eight wines come in under $20 — nice. White wines also as a rule are lower in alcohol than red wine. Six of our recommended wines have 13% alcohol or less. That too, contributes to a pleasant evening. At the very least, it enables us to move on after dinner instead of closing out the evening.

So make a seasonal adjustment to your wine exploration. Seek out new grapes with unique and different flavor profiles. You may find that you have permanently expanded your wine flavor arsenal for the entire year. Most importantly, enjoy!